Two years on, swamped by deceit
Two years after Tsunami - which killed 230,000 people around the Indian Ocean. Only a fraction of the number of hi-tech buoys and sea-level gauges designed to give early warning against a new catastrophe are in place, even though geologists warn that it could happen at any time. At the …
Quake of mild intensity hits Jaipur
A mild earthquake measuring 3.7 on Richter scale jolted the Rajasthan capital early on Sunday. There were no reports of casualties or damage to property. The tremors at 4.13 am lasted for about 30 seconds and were experienced most intensely in the city's Sanganer and Mansarovar areas. "An earthquake of …
12 missing in Indonesian floods
Twelve people were reported missing and up to 30,000 fled their homes as floods swept the Indonesian province of Aceh. Upto two metres of water inundated atleast six villages in Langkat district.
Flood kills 2, displaces 60,000
Heavy rains and overflowing rivers have flooded hundreds of towns and villages in southern Malaysia, killing two people and displacing more than 60,000, officials said. The two deaths were the first since Sunday, when torrential downpours caused rivers and dams to overflow in the states of Johor, Malacca, Pahang and …
New strategy for disasters
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member M. Shashidhar Reddy said disaster management needs a thorough study of past failures and a change of mindset on the part of policy-makers, administrators and other stake-holders, that is the people. In his valedictory address to a seminar conducted jointly by the National Institute …
26,000 rescued from Malaysia floods
Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the southern Malaysian state of Johor as it reeled from its worst floods in a century, leaving roads impassable and disrupting trains to Singapore, officials said on Wednesday. Flooding was also reported in the neighbouring states of Malacca and Negeri Sembilan, …
Half of tsunami funds unused
About half of the billions of dollars donated by individuals, companies and governments worldwide to help the victims of the southeast Asian tsunami two years ago has still not been spent, the BBC said. According to figures obtained by the broadcaster from a database compiled by the United Nations Department …
Study reveals threat of another earthquake in J&K
A recent study conducted by the prestigious, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), has predicted that Jammu and Kashmir is likely to be rocked by another earthquake, this time close to 7 on the Richter scale. Former director of the institute Dr V Thakur has asked the state government to …
With UNDP help, new disaster management plan for BMC schools by 2007
A fresh and comrehensive disaster management plan for every school of Brihan-mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), post the November 30 violent protests in parts of Maharashtra, will be in place by 2007. The project is being devised in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
State gears up to deal with natural calamities
The Himachal Pradesh government has taken steps to deal with natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, avalanches and landslides which have been playing havoc with the lives and property in the hill state year after year. The topography and climatic conditions make the state more prone to natural disasters caused by …
Storm in US kills 6, 1m without power
The worst windstorm in more than a decade tore through the north-western US, leaving more than a million people without power and killing at least six. Winds gusted to a record 111 kph about 1 am on Friday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, breaking the old mark of 105 kph set …
Team surveys flood-hit areas
Believe it or not but it is a fact that a Central team accompanied by senior officials of the state government, including Secretaries of the PWD and Revenue surveyed the flood-affected areas of Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh on Thursday after five months. The team, which arrived here by a helicopter, …
HOSPITALS TO EQUIP FOR DISASTERS
The Delhi government has asked the Central and state government hospitals in the capital to beef up their disaster management facilities. The officials have noted lack of facilities in city hospitals, which have been found to be well below the international standard, to meet large-scale disaster consequences.
'Killers from the hills' prepare to burst their banks
Scientists in Nepal call them the "tsunamis from the sky". Nearly 50 glacial lakes, high in the Himalayas, could soon burst their banks, according to leading mountain experts, sending millions of gallons of debris-filled floodwaters hurtling down valleys and putting tens of thousands of lives at risk. "Glacial lake outburst …
'Necessary assistance' to cyclone-hit in A.P.: Patil
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Friday assured Andhra Pradesh of 'the necessary assistance' to provide relief to the people of Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts of the State which were struck by cyclone and torrential rain earlier this year. Replying to a calling attention motion on the situation arising …
Severe tornado hits London, 6 injured
A severe tornado ripped roofs off homes and tore down walls in a residential area of northwest London on Thursday, injuring six people. Television footage showed a trail of destruction in Kensal Rise, with trees uprooted and cars damaged by falling debris. Tornadoes in Britain are normally weak and rarely …
UN project to provide support in Nagapattinam
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia- Pacific (UNESCAP), Bangkok, in collaboration with the Development Promotion Group (DPG), Chennai, is implementing a pro-poor, public-private partnership project for providing livelihood support in tsunami- affected Nagapattinam.
